Material handling system



March 20, 1962 E. HABICHT ETAL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM Original FiledMay 8, 1958 United States Patent ()fiice 3,025,996 Patented Mar. 20,1962 3,025,996 MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM Ernst Habicht, Paulusstr. 35,Bielefeld, Germany, and

Georg Meinas, Hillegpssen 419, near Bielefeld, Germany Originalapplication May 8, 1958, Ser. No. 734,385.

Divided and this application May 21, 1959, Ser. No 818,243

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-94) The present invention relates to containers formaterial handling systems.

More particularly, the present invention relates to containers for usewith a material handling system of the type described and claimed in ourcopending application Serial No. 734,385 of which the presentapplication is a division.

It is an object of the present invention to provide containers orreceptacles for transporting by a material handling system materialwhich is worked on, the containers being constructed in such a way thatthey need never be raised or moved by the operators at the several workstations along the system.

With the above object in view the present invention resides in theprovision of an open-top container for use in a material handlingsystem, the container adapted to hold a material and having a pair ofopposite end walls and a pair of side walls extending between the endwalls, each having top and bottom edges. Between the edges is an outer,downwardly directed shoulder also extending between the end walls. Theend walls are formed with cut outs passing through them and havethreaded openings at their top ends. A pair of elongated arms isthreadedly connected with and extends upwardly from the top ends of theend walls, each arm having a top end and a plurality of openingsdistributed longitudinally along the arm and adapted to be selectivelyjoined with the threaded openings of the end walls, so that theelevation of the arms may be regulated. The topmost opening of theopenings distributed longitudinally along each arm is located at asubstantial distance below the top end of the respective arm. Anelongated bar having a convex outer surface extends between and isfixedly carried by the arms at a level above the openings thereof and islocated above the container. The arms extend upwardly beyond the barthrough distances substantially greater than the thickness of the armsso that, when a material such as a fabric is draped over the bar thearms prevent the fabric from slipping off the ends of the bar.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a container used inthe material handling system of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a container usedin the material handling system of the present invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, FIGS. 1and 2 show two possible containers which may be used with the materialhandling system described and claimed in our aforementioned copendingapplication. The container 331 of FIG. 1 is provided at its oppositesides with downwardly directed shoulders ST which cooperate with therollers on the ends of the cross arm of a lever in the system (notshown) which moves the container onto a conveyor. The container isprovided at its side which is engaged by the aforementioned lever with adownwardly directed shoulder ST against which the aforementioned rollersbear, the width of the shoulder being at least as great as the diameterof the rollers so that the latter are maintained in reliable engagementwith the shoulder.

In use, the aforementioned lever turns and raises one end of thecontainer so that the container is in a substantially horizontalposition at the time when its other end has reached the conveyor and thelever pushes the substantially horizontal container onto the conveyor sothat with this arrangement the container cannot be tilted so as tostrike downwardly against the conveyor. Thus, the height of theshoulders ST is determined by the arc of movement of the top end of theturning lever.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that the end walls 332 of the container 331are formed with large cutouts, so that through these cutouts theinterior of the container 331 is easily visible. At their top ends theend walls 332 are respectively formed with threaded openings 333 whichreceive screws 334 which in turn extend threadedly into selectedthreaded openings of arms 335 which extend upwardly from the end walls332 and which are fixed to these end walls by the screws 334. By passingthese screws through one of the plurality of openings of the arms 335,the extent to which the latter extend upwardly from the top ends of theend walls of the container, respectively, can be regulated. An elongatedbar 336 extends between and is fixed with the arms 3'35, and it will benoted that these arms extend through a substantial distance upwardlybeyond the bar 336. This bar preferably has an exterior convex surface.This container of FIG. 1 is particularly suited for fabrics which may bedraped over the arm or bar 336. As a result of the extending of the arms335 upwardly beyond the bar 336, if the container 331 should be tilteddownwardly at either of its ends the fabric will not be able to slip offfrom either end of the bar 336.

The container which is shown in FIG. 2 also has the downwardly directedshoulders ST which cooperate with the aforementioned lever in the mannerdescribed above, and this container is a simple open-top container whichmay contain any type of material or workpieces.

It should be noted that the container of the invention is capable ofreceiving any type of material, whether the material be separateworkpieces, fabrics, leathers, plastics, or even liquids.

It will be understood that each of the containers described above, orboth together, may also find a useful application in other types ofmaterial handling systems differing from the type described and claimedin our aforementioned copending application.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied incontainers for use with automatic material handling systems, it is notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. For use in a material handling system, in combination, an open-topcontainer adapted to hold a material, said container having a pair ofopposite end walls and acaaeae a pair of side Walls extending betweensaid end walls and each having top and bottom edges and between saidedges an outer, downwardly directed shoulder also extending between saidend walls; a pair of arms fixed to and extending upwardly from said endwalls; and an elongated bar extending between and carried by said armsand located over said container, said arms extending upwardly beyondsaid bar by distances substantially greater than the thickness of saidarms, respectively, so that when a material such as a fabric is drapedover said bar said arms will prevent the fabric from slipping off theends of said bar.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said bar has a convex outersurface.

3. For use in a material handling system, in combination, an open topcontainer having a pair of opposite end Walls formed with cutoutspassing therethrough and having threaded openings at their top ends,respectively; a pair of elongated arms threadedly connected with saidtop ends of said end walls and extending upwardly therefrom, each armhaving a top end and a plurality of openings distributed longitudinallyalong said arm and adapted to be selectedly joined with said threadedopenings of said end walls, so that the elevation of said arms may beregulated, the topmost opening of each arm being located at asubstantial distance below the top end thereof; and an elongated barextending between and fixed to said arms at an elevation higher thansaid openings thereof and located over said container, said armsextending upwardly beyond said bar by a distance substantially greaterthan the thickness of said arms to prevent a material such as a fabricwhich is draped over said bar from slipping off the ends of said bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,323,094 Levin June 29, 1943 2,616,600 Morgan Nov. 4, 1952 2,740,517Evans Apr. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 668,241 Great Britain Mar. 12, 1952

